Natalie Tennant on Environment

Raise motor vehicle fees, but gradually, not $40M at once

Q: Would you have vetoed the bill raising motor vehicle fees to generate an additional $40 million for the highway fund?

A: What leadership is about, is getting into bringing folks together. I would have done that certainly with the Division of Motor
Vehicles. This is a tough time for folks in West Virginia, and raising taxes, whether they're called taxes or fees, and in this case they were called fees, is difficult for folks. And I realize they hadn't been addressed in many years.
It could have been a gradual approach to be able to work that in. I would have worked to make sure that would have been addressed and address it also for the roads in a budget process.

Q: So you would have supported some increase in the fees?

A: Depending on what the level would have been. But it couldn't have been that high, as it was. It was such a stark increase from what it was.